Springtime Surprise: New 'Interpretive' Panels Sprout at Lafayette Reservoir

Thanks to newly installed signage at the Lafayette Reservoir, guests traversing the lakeside path can help themselves to a richer understanding of our ecosystem.

Interpretive panels were installed last month by resident rangers. One of the rangers, Aileen Wilson, is credited by her colleagues as the brains behind the initiative to provide visitors with enlightening, "I-didn’t-know-that" information about the local habitat. Marrying narrative and photographs, each panel addresses a different topic, ranging from history of the dam, completed in 1933, to descriptions of wildlife and vegetation. (See accompanying photographs.)

Ten signs are spotted along the 2.7-mile-long path. Another, which explains why the tower stands so tall, sits at the shore near the boat dock. The twelfth and final sign, offering pointers on water-wise gardening, awaits installation. It will be mounted on the deck of the visitor center.

According to Wilson, nearing her 20th anniversary as a Reservoir ranger, the turnkey cost ran “between $10,000 and $12,000.”

The signage is eliciting an emphatic two thumbs up from visitors, according to Rod Tripp, another veteran park ranger involved in the project. “I haven’t seen so many smiles from the public since the Giants won the World Series,” he said.

Summer hours at the Reservoir are sunup to 6:30 p.m. It is open to the public seven days a week at no charge save for parking. In lieu of metered parking – take a fistful of quarters with you -- an annual pass permitting parking in an adjoining gate-controlled lot is obtainable for $120. Those 62 and over get half off.